


The Darkest Hour

by icefallstears



Category: Criminal Minds, The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, M/M, Mama Bear Rossi, Sentinel/Guide Bonding, Stubborn Spencer, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-22 21:19:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8301478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icefallstears/pseuds/icefallstears
Summary: Haley's death brought Hotch online as a Sentinel. What nobody realizes until almost to late, is that Hotch brought Reid online as a Guide. Unfortunately, no one knew that Reid was latent. Fortunately the team and Blair and Jim pull together to help out.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2015 "Little Black Dress Challenge" on RoughTrade.org. It was the only fic I managed to write and happens to be my longest *finished* work to date. It sat for awhile but I finally found some generous folks who volunteered to beta it for me.
> 
> Beta'd by the amazing duo of Dazeventura6 and Edronhia.

Reid shuddered again as he burrowed deeper under the covers of his bed. He was sweating buckets, but couldn't face pulling the covers down and facing the world. He knew that logically since he had turned out every light and shut every blind in his apartment, that he would not be even able to see the outside world should he pull the covers down. However, as tears streamed down his face from the mental agony, Spencer Reid, for once wasn't operating based on logic. He had given into the primal instinct to burrow away from the pain. He knew it could even have been days since he'd gone to bed. Spencer knew that he'd lost track of time and that terrified him even more.

He knew what this was; the voices and feelings not his own, the lost time, the inability to concentrate. These symptoms added up to his greatest fear, schizophrenia. He knew that he had perhaps only a few moments of lucidity left before he became as incapacitated as his mother, Diana. The question was what to do about it. Should he call for help, and give in to the idea of being locked away, perhaps in an adjoining room to his mother? Too exhausted to sob, silent tears ran down his face as his train of thought was interrupted by a blast of thoughts and feelings not his own.

_ Can't believe that fucker had the nerve to try and lie to me about seeing his "sister" over the weekend! _

The thought was filled with rage and paranoia and Spencer was so deep inside it, and physically shook so hard from it, that he missed the several minutes of knocking on his door. What he didn't miss though, was the sound of footsteps in his apartment. Still filled with rage and paranoia Spencer surfaced to grab his gun from his bedside table and aim it at the door to his bedroom. His finger tightened on the trigger but eased off when a familiar voice came through the door.

"Reid? Come on Pretty Boy, I need to hear your voice. I know you must be feeling really bad right now, but Rossi is on his way, and he'll get you straightened out so we can get you help. Can I come in?"

Morgan was using the voice he used on victims to keep them calm in interview. Spencer could hear that tone and panicked.  _ They knew _ . He was going to end up in an asylum! His grip around the gun tightened, and he lifted it again, this time towards his own head, as he tried to calculate the best angle. His calculations were interrupted when Morgan opened the door and stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, shit, Reid. Please put it down. Please, Pretty Boy, don't do this."

Spencer faltered as Morgan's sense of impending loss washed over him.

"I can't live like this Morgan. I can't live like my mother!"

Shock from Morgan hit Reid like a brick wall, and then was followed by swamping relief.

"Reid, you are not having a psychotic break. You've come online as a guide. Those thoughts and feelings you've been having are your neighbors'. I called Rossi not to take you to a psych ward, but to buffer you until we can get you to the Sentinel and Guide center. You know that Rossi is the strongest unbonded Guide in the Bureau. He should be here any minute. He was already at the S&G Center watching over Hotch. He's probably got the lights and sirens on to get here as fast as he can. Come on Pretty Boy, I know you can feel that I'm telling the truth. Please put the gun down."

Morgan was right that Reid could feel that he was telling the truth. However ...

"How do I know you're not just another hallucination?" Reid asked, shaking like a leaf from exhaustion and turmoil.

"Another hallucination? What have you seen? Was it an animal?"

Reid's arm holding the gun dropped to his side as he gazed at Morgan in wonder.

"How did you know?"

"Come on, Genius, I know there's got to be some trivia about Sentinels, Guides, and their relationships with Spirit Guides in that big brain somewhere." Morgan sounded much more relaxed and Reid could tell he was being teased.

"An Orca? How could I possibly think that an Orca in my bedroom is not a hallucination?"

Reid barely heard Morgan's impressed whistle and quiet, "Damn," as his attention was diverted by the sensation of a warm blanket settling over him, muffling the voices and emotions in his head that Morgan had been trying to distract him from. It was the relief he had craved when he had burrowed into his bed. The relief was so intense that his grip loosened and the pistol dropped from his hand to the floor with a heavy clunk. Morgan, athletic as ever, darted forward, and scooped up the gun, putting it in his waistband at the small of his back before Reid could even process that he'd dropped the gun in the first place.

The warm muffling feeling increased and Reid's exhaustion with it. Suddenly he was relaxed and sleepy, and through his closing eyes he saw Rossi slip up behind Morgan as he was dragged under the waves of sleep.

~~~

Rossi looked at Morgan in relief and concern. He had already noticed the fading imprint of Reid's terror and suicidal thoughts. For now it was best that Reid stay under until they could get him into an isolation room at the Center and teach him to build his shields against receiving the thoughts and emotions from those around him.

"We got very lucky," said Rossi.

Morgan threw him a look. "How is this lucky? Reid damn near blew his head off because he thought he was having a psychotic break!"

Rossi knew that Morgan was more than a little stressed out by the events of the past 36 hours. The whole team was. Foyet had killed Haley and Hotch had come online as an Alpha Prime Sentinel in a feral rage when he had found Haley's body and Jack next on the Boston Reaper's hit list. It had been a bloody mess, but Jack was safely found by Hotch and then Hotch had been tranqed from a distance and taken to the S&G Center with Jack so that he could hopefully awaken calmly and begin to harness his senses in a safe environment. Now Reid had come online as a Guide and become suicidal before Morgan had gone to check on him for missing work and not answering his phone.

"Yes, it could have been much worse Morgan. After all, from what I can tell Reid has been online for almost 20 hours. He could have killed himself before we even knew to check in on him. Then there's the fact that while he had no receiving shields up he did have a very sturdy sending shield up. We could have been looking at a major traumatic empathic event for this city if he's as strong as I think he might be.”    
  
He tilted his head as a thought occurred to him “By the way - have you seen his Spirit Guide?” . 

Rossi watched as Morgan took a deep breath and settled down. Rossi would bet a royalty check that Morgan was wishing for his Guide, Garcia. Rossi himself kind of wished the vivacious woman was here. She had a way of brightening the mood of every room she was in.

"I haven't seen it, but I think Reid did. He thought he was hallucinating. An Orca no less."

Rossi felt his eyebrows and his hopes raise.

"That's a hell of a Spirit Guide. We may be even luckier than I thought. A Guide coming online, with an Apex Predator as a Spirit Guide, less than 24 hours after an Alpha Prime comes online. It's kismet."

Rossi smiled as he watched realization dawn on Morgan. He felt both elated and the tiniest bit jealous. Rossi stomped down on the jealousy with the ease of long practice. Being unbonded for so long made every new bonding he witnessed bittersweet. Yet if it was true it was perfect. There would be no need for either man to lose their place on the team and they wouldn't need to deal with any new additions that might not be able to deal with the job.

Rossi turned to Morgan.

"We need to get him to an Iso room at the center. I can keep him under, if you can carry him to the car and into the center. I'm going to petition Sandburg to be the kid's private tutor. I know how he learns well enough and can you imagine him in the Guide 101 courses?"

Rossi laughed as Morgan winced while picking up Reid. When Reid stirred a bit at the sound of his laughter and Morgan lifting him, Rossi tightened the shield around the Kid's mind, and dipped in a bit more deeply to dial down his empathic senses for the car trip to come. It was going to be a long 20 minutes to the center.

~~~

Rossi felt the chaos in the center as soon as he opened the back door for Morgan to carry Reid in. The source of it appeared to be Jack. Rossi hurried into the back room of the center where he knew Jack was with Morgan following him. Jack appeared to be in hysterics at being separated from his father and not even the head guide of the center nor J.J. and Garcia combined could calm him down. Rossi swore loudly when his passive empathy picked up that Jack was about to follow his father's example and come online feral. He whistled loud and sharp to gather the whole room's attention, even Jack's crying muted a bit.

"All right. Let's do this calmly. Let Jack peek into his father's room so he can see that he's unhurt while I put Dr. Reid here in the next available iso room."

Everyone but Morgan, and Reid, who was still out cold, opened their mouth to say something. Rossi lifted his hand, and using a bit of his Guide Voice,

" **_Now_ ** _ , folks _ ."

It was a near silent procession down the long halls to the isolation rooms. Garcia was walking next to Morgan and Will had appeared from somewhere to walk beside J.J.. The only member of the team not present was Prentiss and Rossi made a mental note to call the mundane profiler with an update after Reid was settled. They arrived at Hotch's room and cracked the door to let Jack have a peek. Looking back, Rossi would reflect that it was the dumbest and yet best breach of center protocol ever. Not even 5 seconds had passed when several things happened nearly simultaneously.

Hotch barreled out of the room and ran headlong at Morgan. Reid snapped awake and out of Rossi's shielding so quickly that Rossi had the painful feeling of whiplash. They reached out to touch each other, as from the floor an Orca head bobbed up and merged in a flash of light with the very long rattlesnake that had slithered out ahead of Hotch. The two grabbed hands, clutching tightly and then both passed out again.

There was a stunned silence as everyone but Jack processed that the unconscious pair had soul bonded. Rossi thought Will put it best with his drawled out,

"How about that?"

~~~~

Rossi nodded at the bonded Guide from the cafeteria who handed him a cup of strong coffee before proceeding to slide out of the bonding suite as silently as he had entered it. Reid and Hotch lay on the bed curled into each other like kittens. They had had to be carried to this suite together as their grip on each other had never slackened, even in unconsciousness. Jack was half asleep in the chair next Rossi. He needed to see his dad wake up and be coherent before he would fully stabilize back into latency.

Even though Rossi was not in the hierarchy of the DC center, his statuses as Alpha, co-worker in the BAU, and FBI SSA had made him the current authority on how to deal with this soul bonded Alpha Prime pair who both came online in traumatic ways. That duty included making sure that the Alpha Prime's son did not come online due to trauma. It would be hard, but if they could keep Jack latent until he was at least a preteen it would be best for Jack. Reid and Hotch were also going to have a hard enough time dealing with themselves coming online and bonding, much less caring for an online 5 year old.

Rossi still wanted to curse himself for never figuring out that Reid was latent. Hotch, he had pegged decades ago through his drive to protect the tribe. It was the number one reason why Haley had never been able to convince Hotch to leave the BAU. But Spencer had slipped through the gaps. Accurate genetic testing was still on the horizon. It wasn't just one gene the made you a Sentinel or a Guide but a complex mixture of several that interacted in ways scientists were still unraveling. They had tried testing for the complex pattern but they had to be missing something big still, because doing that was still only a little better than flipping a coin. Rossi would have to re-evaluate Reid. The sensitivity and empathy he'd attributed to Reid growing up with a mentally ill mother needed be re-examined for signs of latency.

Rossi's gaze sharpened as he felt both men start to make their way towards consciousness. Their partial bond was already beginning to sync their bodies together. While the mental and physical bonds of sentinel and guide were part and parcel of everyday life, soul bonding was fairly rare. The pair literally lived and breathed for and with each other. No one was sure why that was, but it was noted that the higher the pair, the more likely it was that a soul bonding would occur. Nevertheless, the last soul bonding in the US had been nearly a decade ago, and before that Alpha pair, it had been Alpha Primes Sandburg and Ellison. There was some research that suggested that there were a limited number of soul bonds worldwide every year. Rossi had a sneaking suspicion that he and Reid could collect enough data to prove that over the centuries it had remained a steady percentage of the population of sentinel and guide pairs worldwide.

Rossi sat up straight in his seat as Hotch woke first, and tensed at the feeling of waking up wrapped around another person. Given that Hotch's last clear memory might be seeing Haley's body, Rossi wanted to get his attention quickly. Rossi spoke softly, knowing that Hotch would hear him clearly.

"Hotch, it's Rossi. You are safe and at the Sentinel and Guide center. Jack is sitting right here next to me. You came online as a sentinel in a feral episode. It's been nearly 48 hours since you killed Foyet to protect Jack."

"Yes, there is someone in bed with you. No, that's not normal procedure. But your guide came online just after you did and when we tried to let Jack in to see you last night, you and the guide went straight for each other and soul bonded. That's pretty rare, so I'm going to explain more about that later once your guide has woken up and you both have been checked over by doctors."

Rossi watched carefully as Hotch's eyes opened and zeroed in on Jack for a long moment, then passed over Rossi to the man in his arms. One of Hotch's eyebrows went up as he noticed just who was in his arms. Rossi chuckled.

"Count yourself lucky that it's someone you already know, respect, and like. It could have been a total stranger."

Rossi sobered as he felt Reid mostly awaken, and threw out a mild shield at the Kid. Rossi had no idea if a soul bond would start the shielding process, or if they needed at least a partial physical and mental bond first. Theoretically, the bonding suite would help nearly as much as an iso room but given that Reid was a Prime, Rossi had a hunch that his range and strength would rip through it like tissue if he didn't have a shield in place.

Rossi started talking, this time to Reid, using just a hint of the guide voice to wedge his words into the Kid's mind as the truth. Technically, if it weren't for the circumstances and the fact that he was going to tell the complete truth, doing that would be considered both unethical and illegal. However, all Rossi cared about is shoring up Reid's sense of safety, self-worth, and confidence.

" _ Hey, Kiddo it's me, Rossi. I need you to  _ **_listen_ ** _  very carefully to me. I know you probably don't remember much of what happened yesterday, so I'm going to start with the stuff you need to know. You came online as a very very powerful guide. You were probably feeling the emotions, and hearing the thoughts every mundane in DC, and parts of Virginia, and Maryland to boot. No, you were  _ **_not_ ** _  having a psychotic break. If you had had a psychotic break you would not have responded to me shielding you last night." _

_ "You are  _ **_so_ ** _  strong Kiddo. And I don't mean your Guide level. Not only did you survive having that much shoved into your mind, you held out for over 20  _ **_hours_ ** _. Not only that, but you shielded everyone around you from the projection of what you received. Most guides, if they come online suddenly like you did, can't shield receiving  _ **_or_ ** _  projecting. That's where most empathic events come from. You prevented a city wide major empathic event with excellent instincts, and sheer strength of will. I'm so  _ **_proud_ ** _  of you." _

_ "Now, Reid, when we brought you to the sentinel and guide center last night we accidentally broke protocol and exposed you to an unbonded sentinel. You and he soulbonded. I'm pretty sure that you know most of what's public knowledge about soul bondings, so you probably realize that's who is touching you right now. The great news is that it's someone you know and respect. All you need to do is open your eyes, and wake up a little more, and the three of us can discuss what's going to happen next. _ "

 

~~~~

Jim looked at Blair over the top of the file he was reading. They were only halfway through their flight into DC and they had been doing as much research on the new soul bonded Alpha Prime pair in preparation for meeting them and trying to teach them about their new reality. Jim had started with SSA Aaron Hotchner's file, and then switched with Blair, who had been looking over Dr. Spencer Reid's file, a half hour ago.

While Jim had been impressed by Hotchner, he was still semi-typical of any Sentinel. Dr. Reid on the hand, only truly resembled Blair among all guides in the US when it came down it. Both were extremely intelligent, and in college at a startlingly young age. Both were over degreed for their jobs in law enforcement. Both had had near death experiences; Blair with Alex and Dr. Reid with an UNSUB and Anthrax exposure. Both had had mothers they couldn't rely on, though for different reasons, and absent fathers. Their academic interests weren't identical but that only made it better. Then there was the age difference but that wasn't really a problem.

It looked like if that Blair and Spencer hit it off, they might find peers in each other. This pleased Jim. He knew that Blair's responsibilities, like his own, were heavy, and he didn't really have anyone besides Jim to talk and commiserate with. Jim at least had other military and cop Sentinels of Alpha and Alpha Prime level to talk to. If Spencer Reid could be that for Blair then Jim would be over the moon for his guide. The only real question Jim had for Blair about Dr. Reid was perhaps the most obvious one.

"An Orca, Blair? Seriously? Isn't an aquatic spirit animal rare enough? But one that no one's ever seen before?"

Blair just threw his head back and laughed.

"Apparently, Big Guy. It's a new one on me too. I've been hitting every nation’s central sentinel and guide centers and every myth database on the 'net; but the only references I can come up with are the Pacific Northwest myths on the origins of Orcas and an oral tradition from the same area that says there once was an Alpha Prime Sentinel with an Orca Spirit Guide. Nothing about guides at all. I haven't yet had a chance to connect with the spirit plane to see what I can learn there. But according to the myths and stories, Dr. Reid is basically a protector of humanity from betrayers and murderers. Which makes total sense on why, even though his PhDs are in the hard sciences, he was drawn to make a career as a profiler."

Jim nodded; his mate's logic did make sense. But still, not only was an Orca aquatic, it was huge. Granted there was a tradition of elephant guides from Asia and Africa but a whale? It kind of blew Jim's mind. Jim looked over at Blair and asked the other major question of the day.

"Do you think he could be a Shaman?"

"I'm not sure. He's been near the border of life and death, and he's certainly mentally strong enough. But his Spirit Guide is the wild card in this situation. I'm going to have to meditate with him on the spirit plane and see how he resonates there. If I can get more information about Orca spirit guides while there it would be very helpful. There's also the matter of his spiritual beliefs, if his personal beliefs are too rigid to adapt it won't matter if he has the ability at all, if he refuses to believe in it. We're going to have to wait to meet him. And wait for the pair of them to complete their bond."

"If Dr. Reid were unbonded I could tell but a partial bond will only muddy the water until they complete the physical and mental bonds. As far as Rossi's report goes they've only soul bonded so far. The way that they'll wake up touching will probably cause Hotchner to imprint partially but given their status as boss and subordinate  _ and _  their personal circumstances around coming online, it might take them longer to settle into a full bond with that much to work through."

Jim nodded again as his guide raised a set of excellent points. Then the sound of the pilot on the intercom informed them that the plane was approaching the final descent. Blair and Jim put all of their files away and refastened their lap belts. They would deal with this surprising new pair the way they did everything else, together.

 

~~~~

Spencer was not sure if he was dreaming or awake, though the way his mind was starting to race was a big lean into the awake camp. He felt so calm, warm, and safe in the arms of the man Rossi had just told him was his soul bonded sentinel. It was a confusing yet comforting juxtaposition to the horror his mind had played on him before Rossi had arrived at his apartment to help him. Then there was fact that he was a guide. He'd never even entertained the thought that he might carry the sentinel/guide gene complex. Then for him to find a sentinel within hours of coming online and soul bonding? It was all too much like a fairy tale.

Thinking of his soul bonded sentinel who was holding him so close and warm brought Spencer's mind to the puzzle of who it could be. He knew that he could always open his eyes and see, but what if that woke him up from a dream? Rossi had said that it was someone that had recently come online and that he knew and respected. Reid knew that that basically narrowed it down to his team mates at the BAU, and of them only Hotch and Emily were mundane. Spencer jolted, as he recalled the fact that before his mind had fallen into chaos Hotch had come online to protect his son from the Boston Reaper. Spencer didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the fact he was now soul bonded to the boss he had fallen for years ago. The one that Spencer knew was straight and still in love with his now dead wife.

There was nothing for it but to open his eyes, and find out what kind of reality was on the other side of his eyelids. Spencer opened his eyes ... And then saw nothing but Hotch staring at him in a way that only confused Spencer more. That couldn't be happiness, surely. Why would Hotch be happy to be holding him? As the doubt filled his mind Spencer felt a gentle wave of reassurance settle over him. That made him look over in the direction he had heard Rossi speak from, accurately identifying where the emotion had come from.

When Spencer looked over he noticed sleeping in the chair next Rossi, the other reason why Hotch surely could not be happy with Spencer as his guide, Jack. The whole unit knew that Spencer was terrible with children and now he was going to be essentially a step parent to Jack from now on. There was no way that this would end well. Spencer was bound to Hotch, the man he loved, and the only thing this bonding would do was make Hotch resent him. He was screwed.

~~~

Rossi could read the turmoil on Reid's face and wasn't surprised. Reid's belief that he wasn't good enough for Hotch would have to be addressed, hopefully by Hotch himself, who also seemed to have picked up on it judging by the minute frown on his brow. But, Rossi wasn't above sticking his own nose into it or letting Sandburg do it if came down to it. Meanwhile, that could wait while they woke up Jack and got the new pair checked out medically and then ready to meet Sandburg and Ellison.

Rossi waved at the pair on the bed. "Why don't the two of you sit up and then we can wake Jack up so he can see for himself that his dad is okay. He's been nearly frantic with worry since you were tranqed Hotch."

It took a few moments for the men on the bed to untangle themselves from each other. Rossi watched with great amusement as Hotch rather unsubtly, for him, rubbed himself unnecessarily over Reid in a clear scent marking pattern. Reid on the other hand was trying very hard to not look at Hotch and keep a complete poker face, though Rossi could tell he was terribly confused about why Hotch was touching him so freely. 6 years as one of the best profilers on the planet and the Kid's self-esteem was still in the toilet. The kid had his projection shields locked down tight still but he simply radiated the guide appeal which on top of his frankly stunning looks would make him a menace until he was fully bonded.

Rossi shook himself out of his thoughts. Time to wake Jack, get these two looked over and cleaned up. Then, he needed to greet Sandburg and Ellison, and brief them a bit more thoroughly on the personalities involved here before he introduced the two sets of soul bonded Primes together.

~~~~

.

Rossi was multitasking his ass off in the main center conference room and not particularly pleased about it. He was still shielding Reid's receiving ability. He was sending calming emotions to Reid to keep him from bolting away from Hotch. He was preparing to give an in-depth personality profile on two of his co-workers and friends to Sandburg and Ellison, even though everyone knew that Ellison rarely tolerated unbonded guides in his presence. He was running a case long distance because Strauss had refused to let the team go out on a long distance assignment without any oversight from either himself or Hotch. Then, finally and most irritatingly, he was arguing with Strauss about the fact that Morgan had enough experience to run the investigation even if he didn't know all the proper paperwork that went behind the scenes of every case.

Hotch and Reid needed to stay at the Sentinel and Guide center until they completed all aspects of their bond, finished the nesting period and received at least the basics of working with their gifts individually and as a bonded pair. Reid's memory and intelligence would speed things up tremendously for both of them but their timeline was still weeks long. That meant Rossi was in charge of the team until Hotch and Reid's return. It would be fine once he could leave the pair, but Rossi refused to leave until he was sure they were well on their way to bonded and stable. He owed his friends that much at the very least.

Rossi finally hung up the phone with a heavy sigh. He and Strauss had come to a compromise. He would take over the paperwork for this case and use it to teach Morgan how to do it for the next one. If he was still watching over Hotch and Reid for the next case Morgan would lead the team on his own and do the paperwork. Then Rossi would review it all before submitting it. Not perfect but better than nothing.

Rossi stood up from the table, ready to go in search of brunch or an early lunch when he stilled. Ellison and Sandburg had entered the building. Their mental signatures weren't heavy but they fairly pulsed with command in such a way it was easy to see how the pair not only had the ability to command Alphas, but that the Alphas would feel privileged to assist them. It was heady. Rossi had never been around bonded Alpha Primes before due to their scarcity as a ranked pair in general, and their duties to all Sentinel and Guides specifically. As Rossi worked outside of the centers, he'd never had any reason to deal with them. He had once worked with a newly online prime sentinel in Vietnam, but he had been shipped back to military headquarters to be sent to a center to try and find a guide.

Rossi sat back down at the conference table. They'd be arriving to the conference room shortly and Rossi could probably order some lunch once the initial meet and greet was over. Rossi looked over as the conference room door opened and the alpha pair that ran the center came in, followed by Sandburg and Ellison. The door shut behind the four. Rossi stood in greeting but made no move to shake anyone's hand. It was the standard protocol for the introduction of an unbonded guide in the presence of a bonded pair. Rossi nodded.

"Alpha Primes."

Sandburg and Ellison nodded back.

"Alpha Rossi. It's good to meet you," Sandburg replied in turn. "We were told that you would be briefing us on Hotchner and Reid. Thank you for your help."

Rossi laughed, "Don't thank me yet. I'm not going to say a thing until the Directors of the center turn on the white noise generator, and drive at least 5 miles away."

The Directors stiffened in indignation. "I beg your pardon?" inquired the guide.

"I said, get out and don't come back until the briefing is over. Am I making myself clear enough or should I shorten my words to four letters?"

~~~

Jim had to admire guide Rossi's guts. The combination of implacable intractability and sarcasm was pretty damn funny. The faces of the center's directors were funnier yet. Blair was determined to ruin Jim's entertainment though.

Blair moved between the disputing parties, "If you could perhaps explain why you have these requests we should be able to settle this quickly."

Jim watched as Rossi sat down and crossed his legs and drummed his fingers on the table top.

"I'm not just a guide; I helped form the BAU, and pioneered the field of profiling without using my guide talents. I've been Hotch and the Kid's co-worker and friend for years. Far longer than the scant amount of hours in comparison I spend studying any one killer or rapist. I've seen them at their best and worst. I could write dissertations on each of the members of my team. For the Alpha Primes to help they need to know some of what I know. Things that if it weren't critical to helping my friends I'd never ever say out loud. So I'm trying to insure that my need to know information stays need to know."

Jim actually really liked Rossi. That kind of bulldog determination to protect his team was commendable. Jim looked over at Blair and nodded sending a sense of agreement of their bond. Blair nodded back and sent him a mental hug.

Blair turned to the alpha directors. "Guide Rossi has made an excellent case. Please adhere to his wishes.  _ Quickly." _

Jim felt the hint of guilt on Blair 's part for pulling rank and using the guide voice to end it quickly but everyone in room knew that if Blair hadn't they'd be arguing til the cows came home. The directors gave a set of weak glares but slunk off with an air of offended dignity. Jim couldn't actually care less if he tried about their feelings.

He'd already read the part of the report where it was mentioned that the directors had separated sentinel Hotchner from his child. Hotchner could have gone feral again if he'd woken unable to locate his son. That didn't even account for the mental and emotional stress it had put the child under. Online children had a difficult time of it and for the directors to not recognize that they were pushing a child towards coming online in a feral episode was unforgivable. They'd be replaced sooner rather than later but first things first. Hotchner and Reid.

Rossi, Jim and Blair sat in silence as they waited for Jim to give them the signal that the alpha pair was out of hearing range. Well they had been sitting in silence until Rossi's stomach gave an almighty growl. Rossi laughed, "We should have asked them to order a pizza while they were out."

Blair brightened and picked up the conference room phone, "We can fix that. ... Hello, this is Alpha Prime Sandburg. Can you order two large cheese pizzas and have them brought to the conference room? Thanks."

Jim, relaxing, opened the briefcase they had brought with them, and pulled out the files they had on Hotchner and Reid, satisfied that the center directors were far enough away. He'd keep an ear out just in case they tried to sneak back in range. He looked over at Rossi, "Guide Rossi given as you've already stated you know both new Primes very well, which one would you like to start with?"

Rossi smiled at the acknowledgment.  "I think we should start with Aaron Hotchner. Dr. Reid is a bit more complex and given how badly off we found him when he came online, I think he requires extra context. But first I have a question."

"When we found Dr. Reid, he had been picking up nearly 650 square miles of the beltway area for over 20 hours. Thank god he managed airtight projection shield by instinct. I hit him with the thickest shield I could and he passed out. He broke out of that shield when he soul bonded, but I've been keeping a light shield on him since then because I'm pretty damn sure he can rip right through the center's shields if he loses control again. So, will the soul bond stabilize him enough that he doesn't need an extra shield on him, or should I keep shielding him until he has finished bonding with Hotch?"

Jim was staring and he knew without looking that Blair was too. Blair's mouth worked for a moment before he burst out with, "650 square miles for 20 hours?! Damn. That's scary and impressive. I'm glad you've been keeping a shield on him. The soul bond will start to stabilize his shields but any strong emotional swing he has could loosen what control he's gotten from it. You have to be exhausted. I'll take over for you for a while after I meet him. That way you can grab some sleep, and replenish your energy.  And we can talk to them a little to try and give them some perspective on the future."

Jim tapped on Hotchner's file. "So what about Hotchner did you want to tell us in confidence, guide Rossi?"

Rossi sat for a moment and organized his thoughts before speaking.

"Aaron Hotchner comes from a family situation of abuse. His father, from what I've pieced together, was somewhat abusive to his wife but focused his attention mostly on his sons. Perfectionism was the name of the game there. Hotchner has done much to get past it and is a wonderful father and tried very hard to make his marriage work. Where it tends to show is his conflicting sympathy and contempt for violent offenders who claim that they became violent because of their upbringing. His upbringing also shows in his self-chastisement when a case goes sideways and a team member is put at risk. He feels that if he had been a better leader that the team member would not have ended up in danger."

"He has an intense protective streak. No doubt due to being a latent sentinel. He left a successful career as a prosecuting attorney to join the FBI and train for the BAU. Even after he caught his wife cheating on him he tried to pull his marriage back on track. Not that his ex-wife would let him. She married him knowing that he was dedicated to the BAU but resented and punished him for the time he spent away chasing killers. Yet, when she and his son were in danger from the Boston Reaper he moved heaven and earth to get them into the witness protection program. If Haley had still been alive it's my firm belief Hotch still would have gone feral to protect her. I don't think he still loved her, I do think he had a need to protect the mother of his child."

"If I had to guess, he's fucking grateful to have come online and found his guide, someone who will be his until death, and never want to stray or leave or resent him for his gifts. He's probably doubly grateful it's Reid. Hotch has always enjoyed working with the kid and thinks his quirks are amusing. Plus, I've seen Hotch check out Reid when he thought no one was looking. But hell everyone checks the Kid out once in awhile, he's beautiful and has no idea. But that's the gist on Hotch, Reid is far more complex."

Jim nodded as he finished adding notes to the file on Hotchner. There was a knock on the door and the receptionist brought in the pizzas and some plates, napkins, and drinks. Rossi immediately claimed one of the pizzas for himself and dug in. After watching the man scarf down two slices and making sure that Blair had started to eat, Jim passed Reid's file to Blair so that he could take notes. Rossi waited for them to finish eating while polishing off two more slices himself before beginning his next briefing.

"Dr. Spencer Reid, Reid to most. Spencer to his mother, and Spence to one close friend. He practically raised himself and was severely bullied in high school. To the point that if he'd had a functioning parent they'd have called the cops. He went to Cal Tech and MIT and took care of his mother as best he could before he turned 18. At 18 he committed her permanently. He considers that to be one of his biggest failures. That he couldn't take care of his mother the way that she needed. He is terrified of having a psychotic break and succumbing to schizophrenia like his mother. When we found him the combination of the influx of what he was receiving and his fear of a psychotic break made him briefly suicidal. I've done my best to reassure him on that point but until he can see for himself that he can have conscious control over it, I believe that he'll continue to doubt."

"He's beyond brilliant academically and exceedingly perceptive. Three weeks ago I watched as he identified the father of an UNSUB as a serial pedophile and child molester simply by looking at the contents of the bookcases in his office. He can repeat anything he's read by chapter and page, so a good way to teach him is to give him books. He'll read them all in 30 minutes or so and then be able to ask specific questions about things he needs clarifying on. Teaching him to meditate might be difficult but doable with much practice."

"He downplays his academic achievements out of sense of self preservation and has very low personal self-esteem. Part of that was the bullying and part of that is never having stable parental or mentor figure. He had one for a few years in the BAU, but Jason Gideon lost someone dear to him through an uncaptured serial killer and left with only a letter that read like a suicide note. I've tried to be more uncle than father or mentor to break through the walls he put up after that."

"He's been in love with Hotch for years. But Hotch was married with a baby and Reid did the right thing and never said anything. When Hotch got divorced I thought he might make a move but his self-esteem issues cropped again. He thinks of himself as an ugly, skinny geek that is too weird to be of romantic interest to anyone. He also thinks he's terrible with children but he's brilliant with his god son. By the time I introduce you to him, unless Hotch can get through to him, he'll have convinced himself that he's going to ruin Hotch's life and fuck up Hotch's son."

"He's going to be tough nut crack unless you can find a way to convince him that by virtue of being Hotch’s soul bonded mate that he can only improve Hotch's life.

Rossi paused and looked at his watch. "They should have endured their checkups, bathed and eaten by now. Would you like to be introduced to them now or wait until you have formulated an idea of what you want to discuss with them?"

Jim looked at Blair and knew that they were thinking the same thing.

Blair turned to Rossi, and stood, "We'd like to see them in about 20 minutes. You should prepare them for us please."

Rossi nodded and walked out of the conference room.

Jim looked at Blair again, "We're going to have to project all over Reid to help convince him that bonding is a good thing, aren't we?"

"Exactly, Big Guy, Hotchner should already be feeling the need to complete the bond in all ways and not resisting. We just have to convince Reid to listen to his instincts and not his doubt. Should be fun."

"Fun, you say? Sure."

 

~~~~

Spencer was finishing off the large brunch that had been dropped off through a special dumbwaiter in the bonding suite. Hotch had finished eating before Spencer and was now sitting next to him with one leg pressed against Spencer's leg. Hotch had tried to start a conversation with Spencer several times since Rossi and Jack had left the room but Spencer had done everything in his power to deflect Hotch, as he didn't want the subject of their bond to come up. By the time brunch had arrived Hotch had stopped trying.

Meanwhile, Spencer was feeling utterly confused. Hotch was acting completely against his normal behavior around Spencer. The man was far more relaxed and open since he had spoken to and hugged Jack before sending him off with a daycare worker from the center. He felt regretful of Haley's death but was not mourning her at all. Spencer had been sure that Hotch had still loved Haley, even though she had cheated on and then left him. However, this lack of mourning seemed to indicate otherwise. Then there was the fact that Hotch was taking every chance he got to touch Spencer. Logically Spencer knew that Hotch's sentinel instincts were probably behind that but the fact that Hotch seemed perfectly happy to listen to those instincts without any of the doubt that Spencer was feeling was somewhat mind boggling.

The fact was that Spencer was also feeling the temptation to touch and act intimate with Hotch but the sensation had persisted for so many years that Spencer was easily able to tune it out with a minimum of effort. Spencer had read enough to know that most sentinel and guide pairs had sexual relationships. The research suggested that the only platonic pairings occurred when one or both parts of the pair was romantically engaged elsewhere and those usually became sexual eventually, or one or both of the pair was under age, and they were carefully chaperoned until both parties were of age.

But Spencer didn't want biological instincts to drive Hotch to him. After all, he'd been in love with Hotch since before Jack had been born. In point of fact, it had been Hotch's utter adoration for the idea of being a father that had tipped Spencer over the line from having a crush to being in love. Jack was the shared center of Hotch's world. Spencer had no right to intrude on that bond, nor was he capable of being any kind of parent. After all he'd never seen proper parenting behavior modeled. That didn't stop Spencer from wishing that Hotch's current actions towards him were being driven by free affection instead of forced by biological instinct.

There was a knock on the door and then Rossi's voice came over the room intercom asking permission to enter the room. Spencer looked over at Hotch, knowing it was mostly up to him as the one prone to violent territorial responses. Hotch smiled and walked over to the door and let Rossi in, keeping a careful distance between himself and Rossi. Rossi just rolled his eyes, and took a chair on the far side of the suite. Once Rossi was seated he addressed Hotch and Spencer, "The Alpha Primes of the US, Jim Ellison, and Blair Sandburg, have arrived to speak to you two. Not only are they the Alpha Primes, they are a soul bonded pair. They are here to answer any question the two of you may have about soul bonding and to evaluate your abilities individually and as a pair, for training purposes, once you complete the other parts of your bonding."

Spencer stiffened, and looked down at his bare feet, careful to avoid looking at Hotch at Rossi's mention of further bonding. He started at the sensation of a gentle hand running down the length of his arm and looked up to see Hotch staring at him with a worried expression on his face. Spencer bit his lip, turned his eyes away and shifted away from Hotch's hand slightly, completely missing the hurt that flashed over Hotch's face. When Spencer looked over at Rossi he could tell that the older guide seemed to be restraining himself from saying something to Spencer. Spencer knew that it probably had to do with Hotch, but Spencer had already made up his mind that he didn't want Hotch to bond himself to him because he was forced to because a pair of mostly invisible, totally incorporeal, supposedly magical, manifestations of their subconscious said so.

Spencer watched as Rossi began to open his mouth to say something when the intercom buzzed again. After looking at Hotch and receiving a nod, Rossi went and opened the door to the suite. Spencer automatically leaned away from the tall, broad, and extremely intimidating Sentinel that entered the room, and into Hotch. Spencer had to suppress a start as Hotch took that as permission to wrap an arm around Spencer's waist. Following the Sentinel came his guide, who practically radiated good cheer in direct contrast to his sentinel. The pair took their seats on the loveseat next to Rossi's chair and stared at Spencer and Hotch.

Spencer was surprised when they turned to look at each and nodded and then turned their attention back on himself and Hotch. They sat in silence for a few more minutes until the guide, whom Spencer knew was named Blair Sandburg sat forward and started to speak.

"Hello, Agent Hotchner and Dr. Reid. My name is Blair Sandburg and my sentinel here is Jim Ellison. We've flown in to to meet you because we are a soul bonded Alpha Prime pair like yourselves. We are here to explain a little more in depth about what soul bonding means and to also teach you both how to use your new gifts eventually. It's highly unusual for both halves of a new pair to come online so close to each other. Usually one or both of a pair is online and trained before meeting and bonding. However it's actually to your benefit as your bond will make control much easier and therefore learning to use your gifts that much easier. Before I start on soul bonds, do either of you have any questions?"

Spencer shifted, feeling Hotch's arm around his waist tighten and then relax, and then asked one of the many questions that had been swirling through his mind since he had woken up.

"An Orca?"

Rossi and Ellison snorted while Sandburg laughed.

"Actually, that was our reaction too. Aquatic spirit animals only make up a little less than ten percent of all spirit animals. The break down goes terrestrial mammals, birds of prey, reptiles, other birds, insects and arachnids, and then aquatic animals. I've met a seal or two, a few octopus ones, even a shark once, but nothing as big as a whale. I've been researching, though, and there is at least a little evidence that there has been at least one Orca before you. It was the spirit guide of an Alpha Prime Sentinel though. Still, you should be proud of it. Orcas are protectors of humanity. It's a very strong spirit guide for a very strong guide."

Spencer flushed at the praise. Sandburg just smiled good naturedly at him and moved on.

"So soul bonding is what we call when the spirit guides of a sentinel and guide pair merge upon meeting. Most pair's spirit guides will interact, and touch each other but they never merge. The most notable and secret thing about a soul bonded pair is their life bond. After the merging of the spirit guides, the pair’s heart rate, and breathing synchronize. If one half of the pair is killed the other follows within minutes. However, this can also be a good thing. If one half of the bond is ill or injured the healthy half of the bond pair can stabilize their partner from even extreme injuries. Generally to kill a soul bonded pair you have to kill one or both of them instantly. It has more benefits than downsides. Their gifts are also stronger than their level counterparts. A soul bonded alpha pair will always be stronger than a non-soul bonded pair but not quite to prime level.  The same goes for regular sentinels and guides and alpha primes. Any questions?"

Spencer nodded and without looking at Hotch he could feel Hotch's nod as well. Hotch had been gradually encroaching further and further into Spencer's personal space and Spencer had let him do it partly because he didn't want to cause a scene in front  **_the_ **  sentinel and guide pair. But mostly because it felt so good to have Hotch hold him and after Sandburg and Ellison left, he and Hotch would talk and Hotch would see how terrible Spencer was for him and Jack and then they'd go their separate ways and Spencer would never get to touch Hotch again. And Rossi was giving Spencer that  _ look _  again.

Sandburg smiled and motioned to either side of the room. "Okay this is going to sound weird but since you two won't be wandering very far from each other for the next bit, we are going to have the two of you go to opposite sides if the room and turn your backs to each other. This will let Jim and I ask the two of you some personal questions that can be answered with some privacy via nodding or shaking your heads. Dr. Reid you will be with me and Agent Hotchner will be with Jim. Agent Rossi, thank you for your invaluable help, but this bit would work with a little more privacy."

Spencer watched as Rossi got up and headed for the door. He was a bit surprised that Rossi wasn't arguing, but supposed it had been discussed beforehand. Sandburg motioned Spencer over as Ellison indicated that Hotch should come to his end of the room. Hotch squeezed his arm around Spencer before sliding away. Spencer felt an immediate sense of loss of Hotch's reassuring presence and body heat. Nevertheless, Spencer stood and walked over to Sandburg. Sandburg smiled and maneuvered him so that Spencer's back was towards Hotch's side of the room.

"Great," Sandburg spoke lowly but not at a whisper. "First things first. A terribly invasive and personal question. I'm going to assume you are not a virgin. After all while I didn't start quite as young as you I still know that as a genius teen at a university you had plenty of chances to experiment sexually. However, I do need to know if you know about, and are comfortable with, the mechanics of anal sex."

Spencer started to blush furiously and Sandburg laughed, but not unkindly.

"Don't worry about Agent Hotchner overhearing this. He's being asked the exact same questions. After all fathering a child is no indication of his familiarity with anal sex. All I need from you is a visual indication on whether or not I should give you a pamphlet or two and the 'there's always time for lube' lecture. So nod for yes you know what you are doing or shake your head to receive some guidance. Pardon the pun."

Spencer was torn between blushing further or laughing his ass off at Sandburg's forthright and downright blasé attitude on the subject and nodded.

Sandburg smiled, "Good to know. Now onto the Yenta portion of my duties and some personal history on me. Jim and were total strangers when we soul bonded. Not a day goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars that we met and soul bonded. Not only did it literally save my life at the time, having Jim in my life has been the best part of my life and always will be. You are lucky that you know and like your Sentinel. It will make things easier. Jim and I took a bit to complete the rest of our bonds because we wanted to get to know each other first and also because I had to be released from the hospital.”

“Never, ever, doubt that you are the best thing for your sentinel and that your sentinel will be the best thing for you. If I didn't think it put down other sentinel and guide pairings, I'd say soul bonded pairs were soul mates. All bonds between sentinel and guides are equal partnerships, but there's something deeper with soul bonds and eventually you will feel and know that you are blessed in your relationship with Aaron Hotchner. That's not to say things won't require adjustment. Just that in the end, which will be soon for you, things will work out better than you can imagine. Even if he was your boss. Now he's your partner.” 

“And yes, Hotchner is getting Jim's version of this speech. And someday sooner than you think, it will be you giving this speech to a guide of a soul bonded pair. Now that I've given you plenty of unsolicited advice, Jim and I are going to depart and let you and Agent Hotchner work things out for yourselves."

Spencer watched with wide eyes Sandburg headed to the door of the suite and Ellison walked past him to join his guide in leaving. As the door shut he turned wide eyed to look at Hotch. Hotch was standing on the other side of the room with his arms crossed and a serious look on his face. Spencer felt overwhelmed from the whirlwind lecture and the sight of Hotch's face which clearly told Spencer that Hotch was profiling him.

~~~~

Spencer wanted to fidget. It had been more than five minutes since Sandburg and Ellison had left and Hotch had been staring at him from the far side of the suite since then. Spencer knew Hotch wanted to say something which was why he couldn't figure out why Hotch wasn't saying anything and just staring at him. Spencer decided to take the bull by the horns; after all he wanted to talk to Hotch and try to find a way to go their separate ways without having to quit the BAU. Spencer gathered his courage, such as it was.

"Hotch, I think we should talk about what to do next."

Hotch's facial expression shifted into a deeper frown, making Spencer more nervous.

When Hotch spoke, his disapproval and disappointment radiated throughout his tone.

"I suppose this is where you try to cut all ties to me. Despite the fact that we are sentinel and guide. Despite the fact that we are soul bound. Despite the fact that I thought we were friends as well as colleagues, and that we could be much worse off with strangers or people neither of us like or tolerate. Is that what this is?"

Spencer felt his heartbeat speed up in distress at how upset Hotch sounded.

"Hotch. I am glad it's you and we are friends. But, can't you see that this is the worst thing that could happen to you? You are tied to me for  _ life _ . Your geeky, socially awkward subordinate. The member of the team that can give you the vital statistics of any town we go to but doesn't actually have any social skills. This is going to kill your career. And what about Jack? You said it yourself. 'The Reid Effect.' I'm terrible with children and if I were to be a part of your life, I'd be a part of Jack's and all I could do is screw him up. Jack is one the most important parts of your life. How can I do anything that might mess that up? Besides, it's not like you really want me. The part of you that is a Sentinel wants the part of me that is a Guide. We can ignore that."

Spencer shifted as Hotch stared at him for a moment before breaking into a small barely there smile before crossing across the room and crowding into Spencer's personal space.

"Let me get this straight," Hotch said, his voice half an octave lower than usual, "You want to ignore this not because you don't want it - But because you think you'll ruin my life?

Hotch crowded himself right up against Spencer's front and Spencer's breath caught at the heat and scent that was radiating from Hotch and the sensation of Hotch's breaths rushing over his jaw line and just under his ears.

"Don't you think you should let me make up my own mind if you are good for me or not?"

As Hotch crowded further forward into his space, Spencer gradually backed up until he was against the wall next to the foot of the bed. Spencer's heart rate went up even higher as Hotch's voice dropped even deeper as he began to speak just above a whisper.

"I'm not your boss anymore. In the eyes of the world  _ and _  the FBI we are now partners. There are no fraternization rules against sentinel and guide pairs. I enjoy the fact that you know the things you know. They make you both unique and valuable. As for the social skills? Fuck the people who disapprove. We're an Alpha Prime pair. We will out rank just about everyone we meet so they will just have to deal with it."

Spencer shivered at Hotch's casual use of the word fuck. Hotch swore very rarely and Spencer had never heard him swear when there wasn't an UNSUB or an injury involved. But Hotch wasn't done speaking and Spencer's attention was quickly drawn back to the man who was just centimeters from pressing his front into Spencer's.

"As for Jack, how can you say you are bad with children when you are so good with Henry? All you'll have to do is treat Jack like an older version of Henry and you'll do just fine. How could I not want a smart, kind, and strong person to help me raise Jack?"

Spencer's breath shuddered out as Hotch finally closed the last bit of distance between their bodies and pressed his entire front along Spencer's and placed his lips just above the skin behind Spencer's ear. Spencer felt his eyes widen as he felt Hotch's large aroused cock press against Spencer's groin, the bare half inch of height difference letting Hotch align their hips easily. Hotch's lips grazed the skin just under Spencer's ear as Hotch continued to speak, now at an intimate whisper.

"As for only wanting you because you are my guide." There was a chuckle that vibrated against Spencer's pulse point and made him shudder from the sensation of hot lips against such a sensitive spot. "I've wanted you since the day I met you, I've loved you since you saved our lives and stopped Chester Hardwick in his tracks with some of the most brilliant BS I've ever seen pulled out on the fly. You are brilliant, funny, gorgeous, and I'm fucking grateful that we are sentinel and guide and I can have you all to myself for the rest of our lives. Please, listen to me  _ Guide. _ "

Spencer shivered under the onslaught of Hotch's heartfelt confession and raised his arms to wrap around Hotch's neck and tug him that much tighter to his body and rapidly hardening cock. Spencer turned his head so that his lips touched Hotch's ear. " _ Sentinel. _ " Then Spencer pulled back just enough to re-angle his head and kissed Hotch for the first time.

~~~~

**_6 Months Later_ **

Rossi sat in his usual chair in the round table room glaring at his spirit guide, a large brown tabby Maine Coon that he called Murray. Murray was laying in the center of the table, as usual for briefing days, tail twitching impatiently. Both he had Murray had been feeling restless lately, but last night Murray had refused to let him get an inch of sleep. It was irritating but at least he'd gotten to the office early and killed some backed up paperwork. Now he was just waiting for the others to arrive for the next case briefing.

Rossi looked over as Hotch and Reid filed in, the pair glowing with happiness and good health. The Alpha Prime pair had flown through training after bonding and there were rumors down at the center that they were being groomed to replace Sandburg and Ellison when they retired. Rossi hoped so. They were magnificent in the field and had already once led a region wide manhunt using the entire East Coast Sentinel and Guide population.

Rossi was drawn from his musings as Morgan, Prentiss and J.J. came in. J.J. passed out the files and began the briefing.

"Interpol has been tracking a serial killer across Europe. He has been traveling from east to west from Ukraine to Portugal, dropping the bodies of two women in each country he hits. Two nights ago in New York City the body of a woman matching the M.O. of the serial killer was found. Interpol has contacted us to try and catch him while he is on US soil."

Rossi tuned partially out of the briefing for a moment when Murray stood up on the table abruptly and turned his head towards the door. The door that an enormous lion like dog spirit guide was coming through followed by a stunning man in his early thirties. Rossi dimly heard J.J. continue as he stared at the new comer.

"Interpol has loaned us the agent in charge of the investigation, Alpha Sentinel Lucien Sauveterre."

Rossi watched in stunned disbelief as Murray launched himself from the table and  _ merged _  with the large dog in a flash of light. The Sentinel, Lucien, stopped dead in his tracks and stared right at Rossi. Then he smiled and walked over to Rossi holding his arms out for a hug. Rossi couldn't help but walk into the arms of  _ his _  Sentinel. The Sentinel wrapped Rossi in for a tight hug - a lightly accented,  _ "Guide"  _  whispered into his ear.

Rossi returned the hug and whispered back, " _ Sentinel, _ " utterly oblivious to the chaos that was breaking out in the briefing room or the matching smirks on Hotch and Reid's faces.

  
  



End file.
